Director of Children Services

United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA; Scranton (Lackawanna County); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation, Sick, and Personal Time Off

Holidays

Health Insurance

Dental Benefits

Vision Benefits

401(k) Salary Deferral

401(k) 5% Company Contribution

Group Term Life Insurance

Free membership with NET Credit Union

Free Child Care Services

Employee Assistance Program

LifeMart Employee Discounts

Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)

Job summary

United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA is seeking a Director of Children Services to provide strategic leadership across three childcare centers. You will oversee Center Directors, ensure quality, compliance, and strong operational performance while aligning with agency goals.

You will lead a team to build leadership, coaching, and accountability across multiple locations, fostering a positive culture and ensuring safe, high-quality experiences for children and families.

Qualifications

• Experience leading multiple childcare centers and center directors.
• Knowledge of licensing, regulatory requirements, and quality standards.
• Ability to assess program performance and drive improvements.
• Budget awareness and resource management.
• Strong communication with families, staff, and leadership.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership, supervision, and accountability for UNC’s three childcare centers and their Center Directors
• Establish consistent expectations, policies, procedures, and quality standards across all childcare programs
• Monitor compliance with licensing, regulatory, contractual, health and safety, and agency requirements
• Provide ongoing coaching, support, and performance oversight to Center Directors with regular meetings
• Review center operations, staffing, enrollment, attendance, budgets, expenses, and KPIs to identify trends
• Monitor enrollment and capacity and maximize program sustainability
• Develop and monitor department-wide goals, performance measures, and quality improvement plans
• Conduct regular reviews and site visits to assess program quality and safety
• Support recruitment, retention, development, and succession planning for childcare leadership
• Coordinate professional development opportunities for staff and leadership
• Serve as a resource to Center Directors for complex staffing and operational issues
• Collaborate with other UNC departments to align policies and mission
• Identify opportunities to improve quality, efficiency, family engagement, and sustainability
• Lead department-wide initiatives and special projects as assigned
• Ensure effective communication among Center Directors, senior leadership, and departments

Skills

Leadership

People management

Accountability

Staff development

Coaching

Strategic leadership

Cross-location oversight

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education

Master’s degree preferred

Job description

Position Summary: The Director of Children Services is a key member of UNC’s Senior Leadership Team and provides strategic leadership, administrative oversight, and supervision for UNC’s three childcare centers. The position is responsible for ensuring consistent program quality, regulatory compliance, staff development, financial and operational performance, and alignment with agency goals across all centers.

The Director provides leadership and support to Center Directors while maintaining accountability for department-wide outcomes.

Our Ideal Candidate

Our ideal candidate is a strong, people-focused leader who knows how to develop managers, build strong teams, and create accountability across multiple locations.

You are skilled at setting clear expectations, building accountability, and creating consistency across teams while giving managers the coaching and support they need to be successful.

You are a confident and approachable people manager who can build trust, provide meaningful feedback, address performance concerns directly, and develop the strengths of those you supervise. You understand that effective leadership means balancing support with accountability and are comfortable having difficult conversations when necessary.

Most importantly, you are someone who can build a strong leadership team and a positive, accountable culture—bringing people together around shared expectations, developing staff, strengthening communication, and ensuring each childcare center provides a safe, consistent, and high-quality experience for children and families.

Essential Responsibilities

• Provide leadership, supervision, and accountability for UNC’s three childcare centers and their Center Directors
• Establish consistent expectations, policies, procedures, and quality standards across all childcare programs
• Monitor compliance with applicable licensing, regulatory, contractual, health and safety, and agency requirements
• Provide ongoing coaching, support, and performance oversight to Center Directors, including regular individual and department-level meetings
• Review center operations, staffing, enrollment, attendance, budgets, expenses, and other key performance indicators to identify trends, concerns, and opportunities for improvement
• Monitor enrollment and capacity across centers and work with Center Directors to maximize enrollment and program sustainability
• Develop and monitor department-wide goals, performance measures, and quality improvement plans
• Conduct regular reviews and site visits to assess program quality, compliance, safety, documentation, and adherence to agency expectations
• Support recruitment, retention, professional development, and succession planning for childcare leadership and staff
• Identify department-wide training needs and coordinate professional development opportunities for childcare staff and leadership
• Serve as a resource to Center Directors in addressing complex staffing, family, operational, and programmatic issues
• Collaborate with other UNC departments to strengthen services and ensure alignment with agency policies, goals, and mission
• Identify and implement opportunities to improve program quality, efficiency, family engagement, and long-term sustainability
• Lead department-wide initiatives and special projects related to childcare services as assigned
• Ensure effective communication and information sharing among Center Directors, senior leadership, and agency departments
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Chief Operating Officer

Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, Human Services, Education, Business Administration, or a related field; Master’s degree preferred

Experience: Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in childcare, early childhood education, human services, education, or a related field; Demonstrated supervisory or management experience required. Experience with program compliance, quality assurance, regulatory requirements, organizational quality improvement preferred.

Skills & Competencies

• Ability to provide department-level leadership, establish clear expectations, and ensure consistent practices and outcomes across multiple childcare centers
• Demonstrated ability to support, develop, and hold managers and staff accountable for performance
• Understanding of childcare licensing, regulatory requirements, quality standards, and compliance practices
• Ability to assess program performance, identify areas for improvement, analyze data, and implement effective strategies
• Ability to understand budgets, monitor financial performance, manage resources, and identify opportunities for operational efficiency and sustainability
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to collaborate effectively with staff, families, leadership, and community partners
• Ability to assess complex situations, make sound decisions, resolve challenges, and provide effective guidance to Center Directors
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities, follow through on commitments, and maintain accountability for department goals and outcomes
• Ability to lead through organizational change, implement new initiatives, and respond effectively to evolving program and regulatory requirements

Benefits

• Vacation, Sick, and Personal Time Off
• Holidays (11)
• Health Insurance
• Dental Benefits
• Vision Benefits
• 401(k) Salary Deferral
• 401(k) 5% Company Contribution
• Group Term Life Insurance
• Free membership with NET Credit Union
• Free Child Care Services
• Employee Assistance Program
• LifeMart Employee Discounts
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)

UNC of NEPA is equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.